


Ynys Echni

by Topaz_Eyes



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Angst, Episode Related, Episode Tag, Ficlet, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-04-21
Updated: 2008-04-21
Packaged: 2017-10-03 14:43:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Topaz_Eyes/pseuds/Topaz_Eyes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Ianto and I are worried about you."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ynys Echni

**Author's Note:**

> Set after "Exit Wounds," and also refers to "Adrift." Title means "Flat Holm" in Welsh. Proverb from The Proverbs of Wales: A Collection of Welsh Proverbs, with English Translations, compiled by T.R. Roberts, copyright 1885.

_Côf gan bawb a gâr. -- Everyone thinks of the one he loves._

Jack was sitting on the outcrop on Flat Holm when Gwen saw him from the pier below the lighthouse. From her vantage point at the bottom of the hill, he cut a dashing figure in profile: the wind off the Bristol Channel ruffled his hair as he sat with one knee drawn up, and his hand resting casually on it. After debarking, she waited until the fishing boat left before heading up the path that led to the bluff.

Her footsteps crunched on the pebbled trail, startling a small flock of lesser black-backed gulls. They flew off towards the water, protesting Gwen's disturbance. Because of that, Gwen was certain Jack saw her arrival at the crest. But he did not move as she approached; he did not even look up when she stopped beside him.

Up close, Gwen could see the wrinkles in his clothes, the shadows under his eyes, and wondered just how long Jack had been brooding there. Hands in her jacket pockets, blocking the sun with her shadow, she waited patiently until he met her gaze.

"Hello, Jack."

His mouth twitched but he did not smile. "Did Ianto tell you I was here?"

She shrugged. "No. I had a hunch you might be at the facility. Hired a boat, came here, and saw you on the bluff."

He nodded approvingly. "You were trained well, Gwen Cooper."

"I was. May I sit?"

"Of course." He gestured at the grass.

Gwen set her knapsack down and sat beside him on the damp ground, drawing her knees to her chest. She tried not to shiver in the breeze; instead she looked up to watch the pearl-gray clouds trail across the sky.

"Ianto and I are worried about you," she began after a few minutes of awkward silence. "You've been supporting us since--since Owen and Tosh--" Her throat tightened.

Jack winced, staring straight ahead towards the Welsh mainland.

"You've been our rock through everything. But--" She looked away for a moment at a clump of biting stonecrop blooming nearby. Then she turned back, reached up and took his free hand in hers. "Talk to me, Jack. Please. Let me help if I can."

At length, he looked down at her and shook his head. "I can't," he said softly. "I'm sorry."

"Why not?"

He looked at his knees, a wry smile on his face. "For one thing, I wouldn't know where to start."

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Can't be that hard, can it? What do psychiatrists always say? 'Begin at the beginning?'"

He snorted. "A psychiatrist would have a field day with me. And I can't say they haven't tried."

"I'm not your psychiatrist," Gwen replied. "I'm your friend."

He looked over at her, his gaze fond and full of sorrow. "I know. And that's why I can't tell you."

Gwen pursed her lips at the gentle but firm shutdown. "All right," she said reluctantly. "I can't force you."

"I wish I could."

After another few minutes, she began to rummage in her knapsack. "But at least you can share some tea with me?"

Jack grinned. "That I can do."

She pulled two shatter-proof mugs out of her knapsack, followed by a Thermos, and set them on the ground. She poured the tea and handed one steaming mug up to Jack.

"Cheers." He took a sip and mmm'ed with appreciation. "Did Ianto make this?"

Gwen shook her head. "You know I'm rubbish at making tea."

They sat, drinking their tea in a more companionable silence, and watched the rolling waves in the channel until Jack broke the silence.

"Did you know that the difference between the high and low tides here, is second only to the Bay of Fundy in Canada?"

Gwen started, then turned to look at him. "Oh, so you're an expert in world geography as well now?"

Jack met her smile, but the sadness in his voice belied his cocky grin. "When you've lived as long as I have, you become an expert in everything."

He looked away again, blinking rapidly as he stared at the surf crashing on the rocks below. Gwen tensed, waiting. "The pull of the tides, Gwen," he said. "Washing some things up and dragging others out to sea. And we're always at their mercy."

"Like the Rift," Gwen said carefully.

He squeezed his eyes shut and nodded. "Like the Rift." His voice broke on the last word.

Gwen shifted over, moving onto the rock beside him, and took the shaking mug out of his hands. She pulled him close, her own eyes brimming. "Oh, Jack," she murmured, stroking his hair. "I know. And I'm so, so sorry."

The flock of lesser black-backed gulls soared high above them, keening as they flew.


End file.
